Making .303 British bullets from #000 buckshot

[scottyp99]

Lol! Good one, Navy!

I guess I'll try the #0 buckshot with 3 grains of Red Dot. I also have an idea for a 123 grain, .312" diameter, plated bullet from Xtreme, over 8-12 grains of Red Dot.

scottyp99

[BigEyeBob]

I say good on you for trying new ideas . Let us know how things go.

[clodhopper]

After using both round balls and light bullets, the bullets do shoot straighter.
The roundball's grip on the rifling and gas seal is just not that good. But a bag of shot, pound of powder, and a couple thousand of primers can be a lot of fun.
Now that I have molds, sizers, and the means to lube bullets, the ability to hit ground squirrels reaches much farther than in the #3 buckshot in the .243 days.

[NavyVet1959]

I use low powered round ball loads when introducing new shooters these days to firearms. Cheaper than even .22LR these days. Even have some .44 mag rounds loaded with round balls that I've cast so that they can shoot my Rossi Model 92.

[runfiverun]

hornady makes their [90gr] XTP in 314 diameter [or maybe did] the box's I have are black and white.
flinging one of those at warp speed from one of the many 31 cal rifles around here sure ruins a ground squirrels or jack rabbits day.

[scottyp99]

hornady makes their [90gr] XTP in 314 diameter [or maybe did] the box's I have are black and white.
flinging one of those at warp speed from one of the many 31 cal rifles around here sure ruins a ground squirrels or jack rabbits day.

What are you using for powder, and how much? It's hard to find data for the lower weight bullets, especially the j-words. Also, have you chrony'd it yet?

scottyp99

[NavyVet1959]

What are you using for powder, and how much? It's hard to find data for the lower weight bullets, especially the j-words. Also, have you chrony'd it yet?

You can safely use powder loads that are specified for heavier bullets with lower weight bullets. The worst that can happen if you use too low of a powder load is that the bullet can get stuck in the barrel -- in which case, you just get a rod and hammer it out. Depends upon whether you subscribe to the theory of SEE that *some* people seem to subscribe to.

If you are wanting to save money, buying jacketed bullets is not it. Buy you some lead and start casting.

[Green Monster]

Theres a video on youtube of a guy doing pretty much this same thing but with 30-30

[M-Tecs]

Ball ammo was more about the shape of the powder, rather than the shape of the projectile

Powder type has nothing to do with the term “ball ammo”. The origins of the term started with the standard powder and ball load for muskets. Shot loads and multiple ball loads were commonly loaded at the time.

Today ball ammo is ammunition that is a basic standard projectile. Ball ammo is NOT armor piercing, tracer, incendiary, blank, line throwing, explosive, or proof test ammo.

Today the term is used mostly for FMJ’s ,however, not always. The Federal Stock Number description for 22 Long Rifle Match ammo is "Ammunition, ball, caliber .22 long rifle, match target".

When the .45-70 Springfield rifle was the standard issue, 'ball' ammo was a lead projectile. Same for the 45 Colt. Both had options of shot, multiple loads and the 45/70 had line throwing rounds. The term was used long before ball powders came on the scene.

Cat sneeze or mouse farts (gallery loads) using round balls for 45/70 and 30/40 Krag have been in use since the beginning. I have no personal knowledge if the Brits loaded them for the 303.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...at-Sneeze-Load

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...Loads-in-30-06 Some 303 loads

http://www.303british.com/id37.html no round ball loads but good light load info

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-391949.html

http://www.ncgunowners.com/forum/sho...d.php?tid=8233 Pics of what your sized buckshot will look like.

http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/Rou...ll%20Loads.pdf

http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/rb30.htm

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...all-30-06-load

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...nd-ball-in-308

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...nyone-try-them

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...29#post3525529 your thread but good info for others

Cat sneeze/mouse fart/gallery loads are about as far from "ADVANCED LOADING TECHNIQUES" as you can get.

[scottyp99]

Wow! There's a lot of info there! Thanks a bunch for getting it all in one place for me, it should keep me busy for awhile.

Here is a link to a video that I just stumbled upon. You may find it interesting.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...entrefire-Rif/

Not shown or mentioned in the video, but you can find .30 caliber pellets designed for air rifles. So, a .30 caliber pellet fired by a shotgun primer, sounds intriguing.

scottyp99

[DukeInFlorida]

I've been doing this for quite a while. Total expert? Maybe not. Who is??

Please read the following, and pay very CLOSE attention to the reference to 303 Brit in the ending sentences, in the HISTORY section:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_propellant

I'm backing away now, since the OP is obviously overwhelmed with comments which MIGHT cause him to continue considering reforming lead balls into mouse fart loads.

Powder type has nothing to do with the term “ball ammo”. The origins of the term started with the standard powder and ball load for muskets. Shot loads and multiple ball loads were commonly loaded at the time.

Today ball ammo is ammunition that is a basic standard projectile. Ball ammo is NOT armor piercing, tracer, incendiary, blank, line throwing, explosive, or proof test ammo.

Today the term is used mostly for FMJ’s ,however, not always. The Federal Stock Number description for 22 Long Rifle Match ammo is "Ammunition, ball, caliber .22 long rifle, match target".

When the .45-70 Springfield rifle was the standard issue, 'ball' ammo was a lead projectile. Same for the 45 Colt. Both had options of shot, multiple loads and the 45/70 had line throwing rounds. The term was used long before ball powders came on the scene.

Cat sneeze or mouse farts (gallery loads) using round balls for 45/70 and 30/40 Krag have been in use since the beginning. I have no personal knowledge if the Brits loaded them for the 303.

[303british.com]

Powder type has nothing to do with the term “ball ammo”. The origins of the term started with the standard powder and ball load for muskets. Shot loads and multiple ball loads were commonly loaded at the time.

Today ball ammo is ammunition that is a basic standard projectile. Ball ammo is NOT armor piercing, tracer, incendiary, blank, line throwing, explosive, or proof test ammo.

Today the term is used mostly for FMJ’s ,however, not always. The Federal Stock Number description for 22 Long Rifle Match ammo is "Ammunition, ball, caliber .22 long rifle, match target".

When the .45-70 Springfield rifle was the standard issue, 'ball' ammo was a lead projectile. Same for the 45 Colt. Both had options of shot, multiple loads and the 45/70 had line throwing rounds. The term was used long before ball powders came on the scene.

Cat sneeze or mouse farts (gallery loads) using round balls for 45/70 and 30/40 Krag have been in use since the beginning. I have no personal knowledge if the Brits loaded them for the 303.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...at-Sneeze-Load

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...Loads-in-30-06 Some 303 loads

http://www.303british.com/id37.html no round ball loads but good light load info

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-391949.html

http://www.ncgunowners.com/forum/sho...d.php?tid=8233 Pics of what your sized buckshot will look like.

http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/Rou...ll%20Loads.pdf

http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/rb30.htm

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...all-30-06-load

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...nd-ball-in-308

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...nyone-try-them

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...29#post3525529 your thread but good info for others

Cat sneeze/mouse fart/gallery loads are about as far from "ADVANCED LOADING TECHNIQUES" as you can get.

As a former military armourer, and someone who has worked with propellants and explosives for all of my adult life, I can attest that 'ball ammunition' was so named because it is the French word for 'bullet'. It has nothing to do with the powder. The French used 'balle', which is the word for bullet or ball. They used the word 'balle' (bullet) before Olin came up with ball powder, and before smokeless powder was around.

Olin owns the term "ball" propellant, but that has nothing to do with what the military calls FMJ or ball ammunition. Other powder companies cannot use the term "ball" to describe their spherical propellant creations. That is why the other companies refer to their ball propellants as 'spherical'.

[M-Tecs]

I've been doing this for quite a while. Total expert? Maybe not. Who is??


Please read the following, and pay very CLOSE attention to the reference to 303 Brit in the ending sentences, in the HISTORY section:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_propellant


I'm backing away now, since the OP is obviously overwhelmed with comments which MIGHT cause him to continue considering reforming lead balls into mouse fart loads.

When one finds themselves in a hole it is best to stop digging.

The military first used ball powered in WWII and it went on sale for civilians in the early 60's. Ball powder and ball ammo are not the same. Again the term ball ammo predates ball powder. Ball ammo simply is nothing more term to indicate the ammo is using the standard projectile.

The OP requested info on sized RB's for a 303 Brit. How do you arrive at "the OP is obviously overwhelmed with comments"?

[2wheelDuke]

Didn't Enfields actually have ball ammo at one point? Way way back and possibly not in .303 caliber but if you have a ball of the right diameter and don't mind messing up some brass by roll crimping the ball, or messing up a rifle or taking a bolt in the face if it don't work..... In short at your own risk, and I would be darn sure I knew what I was doing would work or I would get a $20 Lee 155 or 160 grain mold and off you go.

https://www.slickguns.com/sites/defa...5eb7fba6cf.jpg

https://www.libertytreecollectors.co...idproduct=3789

I'm pretty sure those were single shot .410 shotguns on Enfield actions for colonial police.

[M-Tecs]

This thread has pics of sized RB's http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...and-38-special

[scottyp99]

This thread has pics of sized RB's http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...and-38-special

That is exactly what I had in mind!

scottyp99

[M-Tecs]

Glad to be of service.

[clodhopper]

That's very good M-Tecs, I never considered greasing round balls when wanting to size them down.
Overlooking such a simple step, I am ashamed.
Thanks

[runfiverun]

303 is right about the term BALLE [or ball as the English umm translated it]

your ashamed.
I was making some lube yesterday and before it even fully cooled I decided it was gonna be too soft.
so I 'fixed' it.
now it's harder than the bees-wax I started with.
it wouldn't be so bad but I detoured from my own recipe knowing what the final outcome was gonna be.
I dunno what I was thinking.

[BigEyeBob]

[QUOTE=M-Tecs;3551561]When one finds themselves in a hole it is best to stop digging.

I guess he is no longer an "advanced reloader" , but a "retreating reloader" by his own admission .